Rigid body aortic blood pump implant

Abstract

An implantable aortic blood pump includes a rigid body having wall extending along a long axis and defining an inflation port portion with an inflation aperture therethrough. The aperture is fluid communication with an inner surface of the body and on a fluid supply, the body is preferably independent of an external brace or an external stiffener, yet still has a cantilevered deformation of less than 8 millimeters in response to a 200 gram weight suspended from a front body edge. A deflecting structure of a membrane deflects in response to fluid pressure so as to pump blood when the pump is secured to a subject aorta.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An implantable aortic blood pump comprising:
 a rigid body configured to be attached to a subject's aorta with an inner surface concave in both longitudinal and transverse directions relative to a contact surface with the subject's aorta, said body having a wall extending along a longitudinal axis and following an arcuate form, said body follows a contour of the subject's aorta and defining an inflation port portion with an inflation aperture therethrough, the aperture in fluid communication with an inner surface of said body and a fluid supply, said rigid body being independent of a brace or a stiffener, said rigid body having a cantilevered deformation of less than 7 percent the length of said longitudinal axis in response to a 200 gram weight suspended from a front edge relative to a direction of flow in the subject's aorta of said longitudinal axis, where said fluid supply is extracorporeal and connected by way of an implanted tubing to said rigid body via said inflation aperture; and 
 a deflecting membrane secured to said rigid body and deflecting in response to fluid communication to pump blood when the pump is secured to the subject's aorta, said deflecting membrane deflecting in excess of 100 million inflation/deflation cycles when secured to the subject's aorta wherein said body defines a dynamic pump volume of from 30 to 80 cubic centimeters. 
 
     
     
       2. The pump of  claim 1  wherein said body has a dimensionally variable thickness along the long axis. 
     
     
       3. The pump of  claim 1  wherein said body is formed of a polyurethane or copolymer thereof. 
     
     
       4. The pump of  claim 1  wherein the cantilevered deformation is between 0.005 and 3 millimeters. 
     
     
       5. The pump of  claim 1  further comprising a sheet material layer adhered to a top surface of said body relative to the contact surface with the subject's aorta. 
     
     
       6. The pump of  claim 1  wherein the wall has a minimum thickness of between 2 and 8 millimeters and the wall is formed of a polymer. 
     
     
       7. The pump of  claim 6  wherein the wall has a thickness reinforced portion proximal to the inflation port that is thicker than the minimal thickness.